Pursuing Paige

by Anya Bast

  “I’m Jarek.” He motioned at Kaiden. “And that’s Kaiden.”

  Paige glanced at Kaiden, bolted up and scrambled off the other side of the couch. ““Where’s my sister?

  “She went home.”

  “Why didn’t she stay?”

  “She thought we needed some time alone.” He paused. “You, with us.”

  Paige stood warily, her gaze skirting between them. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s not polite to stare, especially when someone is sleeping? It’s creepy, just FYI.”

  He wrinkled his brow. “FYI?”

  She shook her head. “I really want to see my sister.”

  “And you will, tomorrow. Tonight, you eat a good dinner, have good conversation with me and Kaiden, get good sleep.”

  Her stomach growled at the mention of food, loud enough to hear across the room. She pressed a hand to her abdomen and wanted to turn down any meal they offered, but couldn’t. She glanced toward the kitchen.

  “I can’t cook, but Kaiden makes the best vegetable stew I’ve ever tasted.”

  Probably all vegetables she’d never eaten before. Alien vegetables from a different dimension. She swayed on her feet.

  Jarek caught her before she went down. She stiffened at the feel of his arms around her and the alluring scent of his skin. He lowered her into a nearby chair. “No more fainting. If you do it again we’ll need to take you to a doctor.”

  “You’d faint too if you’d just been pulled into another reality.” She paused, looking between them. “So you’re supposed to be my soul mates?”

  Kaiden walked toward them, the expression on his face intense. “Not supposed. If there was any question you were not meant for us, you would not be here.”

  Paige curled her pretty lip. “I’ll reserve judgment on that one, okay?”

  Kaiden was hurt. No one but Jarek would have seen it because he’d known Kaiden since childhood, but it was there in his eyes. Kaiden was tough on the outside, six and a half feet of massive muscle, with a strong jaw and a stoic demeanor, yet the man had an emotional side too. Paige could have no idea how intensely they felt for her.

  “I’ll make dinner,” said Kaiden, moving into the kitchen.

  Paige watched him walk away and Jarek had the sense that maybe she did understand she’d hurt him after all. Breaking her contemplative stare at Kaiden’s back, she shivered and hugged herself. “So, if I didn’t suffer a psychotic break and am somewhere in a hospital hopped up on medications and all of this is actually real, I have two weeks until I can go home.”

  “It’s called the bonding period. The hope is that you will see that our bond means more to you than anything you left behind at home.”

  “I left my sister at home. I left my dancing.”

  Jarek nodded, but his heart sank at the tone in her voice. It said you two could never equal their worth.

  “And why can’t I just go back and forth? Why does it need to be all or nothing?”

  “It’s not easy or without health consequences to pass through the energy field that separates our realities.”

  “Great, now I’m going to get cancer.”

  “Cancer.” He searched his mind for what that was. Both he and Kaiden had done much reading about her world. “We don’t have cancer here.”

  “You don’t have— How is that even poss— Nevermind.” She shook her head.

  He hesitated a moment, watching the pout of her lips. It was wrong how sexual his reaction was to her. He wished he could stop imagining those lips around his cock, or parted on a moan from the ecstasy he was giving her. He tried to think of other things, but it was impossible. He wanted her too much and had waited too long.

  Of course, he was betting that she hadn’t had sex in a while either. Maybe that could work to their advantage. She was a young, healthy, physical woman who seemed to have put her libido in the closet for some reason. Maybe freeing it from its prison would heat her up and open her to the possibility of a life with them.

  Maybe that would be the way to reach her heart.

  “I’m going to gather some firewood.” He turned and went for the door. This strategy definitely bore consideration.

  * * * * *

  Kaiden leaned back in his chair and watched the look of total ecstasy settle on Paige’s face. It was satisfying, but not as satisfying as it could be. After all, her ecstasy was due to his cooking right now, instead of something more carnal.

  “I never knew food could taste like this,” she sighed, relaxing into her chair. “Everything is a lot like what I’m used to, except it tastes richer, deeper...more. Why is that?”

  Jarek shrugged his shoulders. “Your sister believes it’s because everything here is grown by our hands, in fertile soil. There are no chemicals involved. In your reality human beings have become divorced from the animals and the land. Here we live alongside them.”

  “Well, whatever the reason, that meal was fantastic.” She turned her beautiful blue eyes on Kaiden and gave him a brilliant smile. For the first time in his dedicated warrior’s life, his heart skipped a beat.

  Her smile turned into a yawn. “You know, you don’t talk very much, Kaiden.”

  Kaiden opened his mouth to reply, but Jarek beat him to it. “Kaiden’s father was hunter and trained Kaiden to be the same. He’s spent more time in the woods alone than in the village.”

  “And I’ve always had Jarek to speak for me,” added Kaiden with a twist of his lips.

  Paige laughed. “I see.”

  She yawned again and Kaiden stood. “It’s very late. You need to sleep. In the morning your sister will come again. Jarek, I’ll show her the room where she will sleep.”

  Jarek hesitated, and then nodded. Kaiden could practically read his mind. They were resigned to sharing her. It was their way. Still, it wasn’t always easy. Jarek wanted just a few minutes alone with her, just a few. Kaiden would get that by showing her to her bedroom and Jarek was a little jealous.

  “Sorry, my friend,” Kaiden added.

  “This is the way of things,” Jarek answered. “I’ll clean up the kitchen.”

  She blinked tired eyes and stood, looking down at the dinner mess. “But I should help you clean up. After all, you two did all the work cooking.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Jarek and I have it covered.” He held out a hand. “Come.”

  “Wow, maybe you two really are my soul mates after all. Gorgeous, great cooks, and you clean up afterwards.”

  Those words would have been beautiful coming from her lips if only they hadn’t been uttered in a humorous tone. Ah, well, they had two weeks to win her over. “We take care of you, Paige. That’s all we want. Now, to sleep.”

  She slipped her cool, slim hand into his and her touch made him want to purr. “I won’t argue.” She paused. “Can I lock the door of my room?”

  Kaiden smiled. He’d been expecting a question like that. He led her up the sturdy wooden stairs that he and Jarek had built themselves. “We installed a lock. Anything to make you feel more secure.” He wouldn’t mention that it would be nothing for either himself or Jarek to take the door off the hinges with their bare hands. She had nothing to fear from them, but they needed to earn her trust.

  “Good.” She let out a breath and explored the second floor as he led her through the loft and down a hallway. “This house is really nice.”

  “Thank you. We built it for you.”

  “For....me?”

  “Of course. We’ve been waiting years for you to be pulled through the veil. We constructed this house in anticipation of your arrival, although Jarek and I have shared it for some time.”

  “Oh, are you two together?”

  He chuckled at the way she said together. “We’re friends and nothing more than that. We have separate bedrooms. There are four in this house, plus the loft which we use as a sitting room and library. Jarek spends more time here than I do. My job is hunter and protector against the Magica hunters. I am gone often, though I plan to s
pend the next two weeks here with you.”

  “Magica hunters.”

  “Ah, yes. A topic for tomorrow, perhaps.”

  “This is the most I’ve heard you talk since I arrived.”

  “Well, I am able to speak, after all. Jarek was right, however, I have spent far too much time alone in my life.”

  They stopped in the doorway of what would be her bedroom. The chamber was pitch black.

  “So you’re a hunter and protector from the...Magica. You’ll have to explain those to me a bit more. What does Jarek do?”

  “He is one of the leaders of our community.”

  “What do you mean, like a politician?”

  “No.” His lips twisted as he tried to find a way to explain. “He’s more like a policeman, a peacekeeper, judge, jury. He passes judgment and punishment on those who have transgressed.”

  “Yikes.”

  “He’s fair and a good man.” He flipped on the light.

  Paige’s eyes widened and she took a few steps into the room. “It’s beautiful.”

  He walked into the room. “We had a lot of time to prepare for your arrival and we wanted your room to reflect just how much we cherished you from afar.”

  Silently, she stepped around the room with a dancer’s grace, running her fingers over the hand carved pedestals of the enormous bed and the sheer curtains that hung from the canopy. A huge, heavy wardrobe dominated one corner of the room. She opened it and gasped at all the clothes within. She cast a look over her shoulder and raised her eyebrows.

  “Hand crafted for you alone by the village seamstresses. I hope you like them. We judged your style from watching you through the veil. All the fabrics are soft and loose. They will let you breathe and move freely.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Of course. There are shoes, too. We found out your size from your sister. Toiletries are in the bathroom.” He pointed at the darkened doorway to their left, then at the large fireplace. “We will be happy to start a fire for you anytime you wish. Our power comes not from magick, like the Magica, but from wind and solar. It’s mostly reliable, but we still often use fire to supplement the home’s heat.”

  “Wonderful, thank you. I wondered how you had electricity way out here in the middle of the woods.”

  She’d walked over to stand near him. That was not a good idea. He could scent the faint perfume on her skin and imagine the way her hair would feel between his fingers. Standing this close to him was as dangerous as a gazelle standing close to a hungry lion.

  He diverted his attention to the door. If he didn’t look away, he would pounce on her. “The lock is here.”

  She looked at the door and smiled. “That silly lock would never keep you out, would it?”

  He grinned. “You have nothing to fear here, Paige. Feel free to take a bath before bed, if you wish. We’ll see you in the morning.” He had to get out of there before he did something he’d regret, something that would make what he’d just said a lie.

  She reached out and laid a hand on his arm. He stiffened and went still. She had no idea the danger she was courting with even such an innocent move. “I don’t understand why or how I’m here, even though you’ve told me, but thank you for being so caring, Kaiden.”

  His name coming from her lips was the last straw. He couldn’t take it anymore, so he did the thing he’d been dreading. He hoped he could limit this, control himself, but he needed a taste. He reached out, caught her in his arms and pulled her up against his chest, lowering his mouth to hers.

  * * * * *

  Paige gave a little yelp when Kaiden grabbed her and pulled her close. A ravenous expression had clouded his face and she suddenly realized just how hard he’d been fighting to hold himself back from her. His arms were like tree trunks with muscles. There was no way she could pull away from him. Although after her initial surprise, she wasn’t all that sure she wanted to pull away.

  He dragged her up against his warm, hard chest, and she melted. It had been a long time since a man had touched her and she’d forgotten what it felt like, what a man smelled like. It was nice. Especially since for all the force and brawn that Kaiden possessed, he was gentle.

  His warm mouth slanted over hers, lips working her lips, slowly sipping and tasting her. The action tightened her stomach, made it flutter, and affected areas of her body just south. She drew her hands up from his wrists, over the bulges of his arms, all the way to his broad shoulders and rested there.

  Ecstasy. Unreserved and complete.

  His hands trailed down to the small of her back and pressed, making her body arch into his. She gasped into his mouth at the gentle, commanding force of it and her knees went weak. God, what would this man be like in bed? She couldn’t help but fantasize that he would show her right now if she desired it.

  She liked this way too much. Way too much. She shouldn’t even be kissing him. She barely knew him!

  The kiss grew deeper, banishing all those annoying thoughts.

  His lips slid across her mouth like silk, rubbing sensually. He nipped at her bottom lip and gave it a slow lick, then pulled it into his hot mouth. With a sexy little growl in his throat, he enveloped her in his arms, tilted his head to the side and slanted his mouth over hers. His tongue feathered across her lips and she opened for him. He swept inside.

  Oh…hell, she was done for.

  The man could kiss. There was no doubt about it. He tasted like coffee and smelled like soap, clean and manly. His stubble rubbed her soft skin. She noted the sensation, but hardly minded it.

  She couldn’t think!

  His tongue rubbed up against hers and his lips worked over her mouth, tasting, nipping, devouring. The room fell away. The whole world, whichever one this was, just disappeared. She floated among the stars. He caught her lower lip between his teeth and tugged gently. Then he slanted his mouth across hers once more and plundered again.

  Finally he set her away from him. Her knees felt weak. Her lips were swollen and achy. Her mouth felt empty. She staggered back and blearily opened her eyes. She’d never been kissed like that before in her life. She should be angry. Too bad she only wanted more.

  But he was gone and the door was closed.

  Chapter Two

  “So, wait, let me get this straight. The Magica bio-engineered Jarek and Kaiden?” Paige was sitting in the front yard with her sister, trying to get a handle on the moment.

  “Well, no, not Jarek and Kaiden specifically. They bio-engineered the Lycaon race millions of years ago. The Magica never expected for the Lycaon to be able to procreate and produce offspring, but they were able to do that. The original Lycaon were dire wolves and many remain so, like Jarek and Kaiden.”

  “Dire wolves,” Paige echoed, touching her aching head. The crystal bracelet that had been Kaitlyn’s birthday gift winked in the afternoon sun as her sister gestured as she spoke, trying to get Paige to understand. Kaitlyn had found the box in the grass yesterday, after Paige had fainted.

  She kind of felt like fainting again now.

  Rafian and Lucas had arrived that morning beside Kaitlyn. Paige had almost swallowed her tongue looking at the four men in the kitchen together. They were like Greek Gods made real. All the men had gone for a run—in dire wolf form, she imagined—while Kaitlyn explained all of this to her. She wasn’t ready to see Jarek and Kaiden—or anyone, for that matter—turn into a werewolf yet.

  Paige held up a hand. “Okay, let me see if I understand. The Magica once lived over there, in our reality. Millions of years ago, they created the Lycaon to be soldiers and protectors, but then lost control of them because the free will of the Lycaon proved too strong. A long and terrible war broke out, one that still rages even today, millions of years later. Initially that war lay to waste all of human civilization, causing humans to start over again. The Powers That Be, whatever they are, forced both the Magica and the Lycaon through the veil to this reality, called Selaryica, where they’ve been living and warring ever since. But some of the
Lycaon and Magica were left behind on Earth and their DNA was carried through the evolution of man, showing up in a few people like you...and me.”

  “And Caroline.”

  She drew a steady breath. All of this was really hard to believe. They had alien DNA? “And Caroline. But the Lycaon fertility rates are really low and they produce more males than females. There is a magical component to the fertility of the Lycaon, as well, that they call the mating bond. It links most compatible males and females, no matter where they may be, and draws them together. If a mate is beyond the veil separating our realities, it pulls that mate through.” She paused. “Like you and me.”

  “That’s it. That’s why I disappeared so suddenly.”

  She put her hand to her mouth and blinked back tears as the emotions from the past year welled inside her. “Can you imagine how Caroline will feel when she realizes I’m gone too?”

  Kaitlyn bowed her head and dragged her fingers through the lush green grass. “It kept me awake last night.”

  She swallowed hard. “It’s so cruel.”

  “It is. It’s also out of our hands. There’s no way to cross over except by the will of whatever forces control the veil. I hope that by the end of these two weeks you will find love in your heart for Kaiden and Jarek, just as I did for my mates. I hope eventually that maybe Caroline will be pulled through too. Maybe we can all live here together.”

  Anger flashed through her and she bolted to her feet. “And my dancing? Don’t you care at all about that? I have a career, something I’ve dedicated myself to since I was five years old, Kaitlyn. How can you wish for me to give all that up?”

  She looked up at her with emotion brimming in her eyes. “You bring your dancing with you wherever you go, Paige. Love, true and everlasting love, comes rarely. Give it a chance.”

  She gave an exasperated breath. “Where is the surly, down-on-love Kaitlyn I used to know?”

  Kaitlyn smiled. “I’m still your sister. I’m just happier now.”